All versions and their differences

THE Murder on the Orient Express films presents one of Agatha Christie's most beloved and classic police officers. Hercule Poirot, “little gray cells” and all, travels from Istanbul to Calais on the exotic Orient Express. After the train gets stuck in a snowdrift, an unpleasant American named Edward Ratchett is murdered and stabbed 12 times. Agatha Christie got the idea from the Lindbergh kidnapping case in 1932, when the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped and murdered (via AgathaChristie. with).

Hercule Poirot is on the case and begins to investigate the murder. Sure, it eventually resolves, but what happens next? Murder on the Orient Express the ending is a classic Christie touch. Over the decades since its publication, Murder on the Orient Express took many formsincluding films, theater productions, video games and more. This is due to the numerous suspects, the fact that the murder is not what anyone would expect, and the idea that Hercule Poirot would do something completely out of the ordinary in the end.

1933/34 book – The murder that started it all

This was Hercule Poirot's tenth novel

THE Murder on the Orient Express book was Hercule Poirot's tenth outing. Aboard a snowy train, twelve vigilante killers murder a man who, a few years earlier, had kidnapped and murdered a child, Daisy Armstrong. Each killer is linked to the tragedy in some way. The victim, Ratchett (real name Cassetti), was a kidnapper and murderer who escaped justice. Poirot discovers the truth but decides to blame the murder on an intruder, leaving the killers free, a classic Christie twist.

When Christie wrote the novel, she used the Charles Lindbergh Jr. case as inspiration by transforming the victim into a girl, Daisy Armstrong. She then added the death of the girl's pregnant mother due to pregnancy complications and her father when he died by suicide. This leads to the revenge story aboard the train. The soap opera was a great success. To date, Agatha Christie has sold more than a billion books worldwide, which puts her at the top of the list of bestselling authors.

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

A disturbing cast and an angry Poirot

The 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express It was an all-star affair, which hampered the adaptation a bit. Although there were other versions with big stars, this one seemed to distract from the story itself. Albert Finney played Hercule Poirot, supported by Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Redgrave, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Michael York, Anthony Perkins, John Gielgud and more. However, thanks to the cast, the acting was fantastic for this mystery tale.

The script follows the book faithfully, and the main theme song is memorable. One downside is that Finney's Poirot remains a bit angry for much of the film, which makes it difficult to sympathize with the detective. The film received critical acclaim and even earned Bergman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. In addition, the film directed by Sidney Lumet received another five Oscar nominations, including one for Finney and another for screenplay.

Murder on the Orient Express (2001)

CBS Modern Update

There was a big problem with the CBS version of Murder on the Orient Express because of all the changes he made to the original story. It seems like the filmmakers wanted to freshen it up a bit and update it. They then completely eliminated some of the killers/suspects from the train. They also had Hercule Poirot use computers to speed up his investigations, and he even had a love interest. All in all, this wasn't the most faithful adaptation of the classic mystery tale.

Actor Alfred Molina stars as Hercule Poirot, but pales in comparison to some of the actors who took on the role before him. The whole point of Murder on the Orient Express it's just that it was right for the time, and this film tried too hard to update things for a new generation, which caused it to lose its charm. As a result, this CBS version received very negative reviews.

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express Video Games

A point-and-click PC game in 2006 and a console game in 2023

In 2006, The Adventure Company released a point-and-click PC video game called Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. Reviewers were unimpressed, saying it was “merely decent,” with “Lots of talk, little action.“Hercule Poirot has a companion named Antoinette (the player character) who leads the investigation after Poirot sprains his ankle. The player then searches for clues through conversation and solving puzzles.

It never gains much speed. As IGN he said, “Playing Murder on the Orient Express often feels like reading a novel, as long dialogue exchanges with multiple characters consume countless hours of gameplay.“This wasn't the last video game, but it was 17 years before anyone tried to make a second game, the 2023 release also titled Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express​​​​​​. This time, players can actually play as Poirot, making it much more faithful to the book.

Graphic novels in 2007 and 2023

By François Rivière (2007) and Bob Al-Greene (2023)

In 2007, François Rivière wrote a graphic novel version in French of Murder on the Orient Express. It was brief, telling a complicated story in about 44 pages. It has also been translated into English. Although it obtained 4.1 (out of 5) in Good reads, many readers found this confusing. This is not a surprise. Christie took about 250 pages to tell the story. Rivière tried to do this in 44. He managed to turn the story around at the end.

This wasn't the only comic book adaptation either. In 2023, Bob Al-Greene published an adaptation authorized by William Morrow Paperbacks. This was released in September 2023 and divided into three parts, leading Poirot into the investigation. This is a great retelling of the classic Agatha Chrsitie story and is much more faithful than the previous graphic novel.

Agatha Christie's Poirot: “Murder on the Orient Express” (2010)

The 2010 Agatha Christie ITV film

From the late 1980s, the British commercial channel ITV produced several mysteries involving Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. To keep the known stories “fresh”, ITV invented several backstories. For example, Miss Marple gained a married lover who was killed during the First World War.

The opening scene of 2010, by David Suchet Murder on the Orient Express it is a pure complement. Poirot is shown confronting a soldier, accusing him of lying. The soldier dies by suicide. Fade to Istanbul and the train journey. Hercule Poirot begins as the embodiment of angry justice, condemning the vigilante's murder of Cassetti. In the end, he softens and, with tears in his eyes, lets them escape, motivated by the soldier's death. There was really no reason for the soldier's death at the beginning of the film.

Orient Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken (2015)

A cult followed in Japan

Agatha Christie has a huge cult following in Japan. The ITV filming Poirot the series with David Suchet was discontinued in 2000. However, when producers learned that the show had an unusually large following in Japan, they revived the series and continued. This saved the ITV version of the series, but there was also a Japanese remake of Murder on the Orient Express which arrived in 2015 with a new character called Suguro Takeru, modeled and based on Hercule Poirot.

The Japanese TV version of Murder on the Orient Express hit the airwaves, known as Orient Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken. Fans loved it, and mustachioed Japanese Suguro Takeru became a smash hit with fans. The film maintained the basic plot, with the story now taking place in Japan. There are also many anime and manga versions of Agatha Christie's work, but this is one of the best adaptations of Christie's classic story.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

A stage adaptation of the murder mystery

Playwright Ken Ludwig is known for his farces. So when your piece Murder on the Orient Express premiered in Washington, D.C., in 2017, many wondered what was coming next. They needn't have worried. With incredible scenery and just enough humor, it was a joy. There were some complaints. Some minor suspects were eliminated and Ludwig committed a second crime, which many considered unnecessary.

However, the play was so successful that they took it on the road. It's still playing all over the country. In 2024, the Old Globe Theater presented the Asolo Repertory Theater Production's revival of Ken Ludwig's adoption. The stage show was very faithful to the story of the book, with the stage's turntable rotating to show the exterior of the train, the sleeping compartments, the lounge car and the dining car.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Kenneth Branagh stars in his Agatha Christie adaptations

Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in 2017 Murder on the Orient Express. It was a huge box office success, grossing US$3,528 million on a budget of US$55 million. and spawned a franchise for Branagh. Critical reactions were mixed, with a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert's website said the script was good and faithful to the novel, and Branagh was a reasonable Poirot. However, most critics felt the film was more Branagh than Christie.

Even with stars like Johnny Depp and Judi Dench, Poirot was the only important character in the entire film. However, most fans loved it, and it has spawned two sequels so far: Branagh returning as Poirot in Death on the Nile (2022) and A haunting in Venice (2023). The latter is considered the best of Agatha Christie's new films, but Murder on the Orient Express it was a great start.

Who is the best Poirot?

Albert Finney, Kenneth Branagh, Alfred Molina and more

Albert Finney did it in 1974. Kenneth Branagh tried it in 2017. In 2001, Albert Molina struggled with a script that changed a lot from the Agatha Christie tradition. And in 2010, David Suchet climbed aboard the train and cracked the case. It is possible to say that there is a “better” Hercule Poirot when it comes to film productions. Murder on the Orient Express are you worried?

Albert Finney was an angry, aggressive Poirot—and a very good one. Albert Molina struggled to catch up due to changes in his character. Kenneth Branagh fumbled with a backstory and came up with enough eccentricity to make it work. However, if the criteria are pure acting skill and fidelity to Christie's vision, Suchet embodied everything Poirot represents and ended up being the most faithful to Agatha Chrsitie's story.

Which murder on the Orient Express is considered the best?

The best version of Agatha Christie's story

The quality of Murder on the Orient Express Adaptations are all well and good, so the main criteria for determining which is best comes down to personal taste. When analyzing critics' scores, Sidney Lumet's 1974 version has a recent rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the 2017 version has a much lower score of 60%. However, the 2017 version was a huge box office success and spawned a successful film franchise for Kenneth Branagh, which speaks for itself.

It's also difficult to compare things like video games and comic books to movies and TV shows, since they are different mediums and have a much more limited audience in terms of appreciation. That said, Alfred Molina's 2001 version was mostly ignored by critics and had an abysmal audience score, so it all comes down to the two major theatrical releases, with Lumet's 1974 version winning out in the end. Branagh improved with the later films, but Albert Finney was great as Poirot and the earlier version remains a true classic.